Kent Law Student Gemma Blythe asks what incentive there is to become a legal aid lawyer in an article published by the Solicitors Journal online.

In the article ‘Happy 10th birthday to the Young Legal Aid Lawyers’, Gemma writes: ‘No legal aid lawyer is in it for the money, not that there’s much left of it.

‘What is the incentive to become a legal aid lawyer when the government are decimating public funding? Before becoming a law student, I was a legal secretary in London and earning £28,000. The average salary of a newly-qualified legal aid lawyer is £25,000.

‘I worked as a legal secretary in a criminal law firm and caught the bug. I started becoming more and more aware of social injustices, and wondered what I could do about it. I always had an interest in law, so becoming a legal aid lawyer was a no-brainer. I have chosen this career path, not for the money, but because I am committed to access to justice.’

Gemma is now a Stage 2 LLB Law student, studying part-time at Kent’s Medway campus. She is also an active member of Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) and works as a Criminal Caseworker for law firm, Kent Defence.

In her article, Gemma writes: ‘It is so important that students, paralegals, and young lawyers, who, like me, have an interest in social justice and legal aid, make themselves heard. Not only are the YLAL committed to practising in areas of law which are publicly funded, we are campaigning for a sustainable legal aid system and are committed to increasing social mobility in the legal aid sector. Aside from that, we are a social network for like-minded, passionate, and dedicated people.

‘This month, the YLAL are celebrating their 10th birthday. Join us on 23 April at London’s South Bank University. It’s a cause most definitely worth celebrating.’

Read the article in full on the Solicitors Journal website.

Gemma is also involved with a new YLAL Kent group which is hosting an event to celebrate the YLAL’s 10th birthday at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus on Tuesday 21 April at 6pm.

Gemma said: ‘If anyone is interested in listening to some experienced legal aid lawyers, and watching a screening of the new Legal Aid Team animation (which sets out the cuts to legal aid), then please come along. We have four experienced speakers talking about legal aid in the following areas: crime, family, and extradition.’

You can register your attendance on Facebook or email Gemma direct at: ylal.kent@gmail.com.

Gemma is also an active blogger, posting articles about legal aid, many of which have been picked up and published on websites such as, OpenDemocracy, LegalVoice and The Justice Gap. She’s also been featured in Cilex Journal (with her photo on the front cover) in a story about students identified as wanting ‘to change the world.’ You can follow Gemma on Twitter @gemma_blythe